Angie Martoccio
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Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham during a game against the Connecticut Sun on July 22, 2026. Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton has been officially suspended and fined by the WNBA, following her interaction with two teenage fans who were supporting Sophie Cunningham — particularly the Fever guard’s stance on banning transgender athletes from women’s sports.
According to The Athletic, Keaton approached two teens prior to Tuesday night’s game against the Indiana Fever, who beat the Seattle Storm that evening. The fans — who were both wearing shirts with XX and XY chromosomes on them — were backing Cunningham, who has been vocal about IL26-638, a statewide ballad initiative in Washington schools that would ban transgender students from participating in girls’ athletics. Keaton allegedly cursed out the teens and called them “fucking insane.”
Last night, @seattlestorm co-owner Celeste Keaton cursed out two teen girls for wearing @xx_xyathletics shirts, calling them "f*cking insane." One of them was left in tears. I tried to get security involved and was told I should email the front office. pic.twitter.com/Qi8TcfRtYB
— Brandi Kruse (@BrandiKruse) July 29, 2026
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans,” Cunningham said in a recent ESPN profile. “And I’m like, ‘I never once said that.’ I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.” She doubled down on this in an Instagram post, with the caption “I said what I said.”
